Carnival Ecstasy Review
The Carnival Ecstasy & Her Crew Exceeded Our Expectations!
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We just returned from a four day trip on the Carnival Ecstasy. My wife and I (mid 40’s) decided on this cruise as a last minute '"parents only” getaway as, frankly, the deal offered by Carnival was too good to be ignored. In the past we have been on Carnival’s larger ships including the Miracle (twice), Triumph (twice) and Liberty for 7 or 8 day cruises with our teenagers. Consequently our expectations were low given that Ecstasy is one of the older ships in the fleet and we thought this trip was going to be nothing more than a glorified '"booze cruise.” To our pleasant surprise the Ecstasy exceeded our expectations in almost every way!
The Ecstasy itself may be one of the older ships in the fleet, but the hard working crew keeps her in excellent condition. Sure the Ecstasy does not have any of the 2.0 upgrades, but honestly they weren’t terribly missed on this short cruise. Whether it was because the ship wasn’t full or simply a matter of great planning we never felt crowded. We arrived at Port Canaveral at around noon and were on-board in a matter of 10 minutes or so (far better than at either Port Everglades or Miami). Disembarking the ship using the self-debarking option was even quicker. From the time leaving our cabin at 7:45am, walking up the stairs, exiting the ship, clearing customs and reaching the parking lot was about 7 minutes. VERY civilized. We certainly will consider Port Canaveral for future trips if the ships / itineraries match up. We never had an issue finding a lounger by the pool nor had company in the spa’s sauna and steam room.
Our cabin was R147; an outside cabin on the Riviera Deck. If there was a negative to this cruise it was the cabin. Normally we book a balcony cabin so, of course, we prepared ourselves accordingly. However, the cabin on this ship is quite a bit smaller than the cabins on the larger vessels. If these two factors were the only issues then we wouldn’t be upset. However the largest issue with this cabin is its location! The cabin was extremely noisy for several reasons. First, it is located near the piping from the engine room to the smoke stack. When the ship is in motion the noise is quite noticeable. Second, this location on the Riviera Deck is just above a working area of the ship on the deck below. There is intermittent noise from below at all hours. Finally, as the cabin is located near the elevators there is considerable foot traffic outside of the cabin.
Cabin Review
Our cabin was R147; an outside cabin on the Riviera Deck. If there was a negative to this cruise it was the cabin. Normally we book a balcony cabin so, of course, we prepared ourselves accordingly. However, the cabin on this ship is quite a bit smaller than the cabins on the larger vessels. If these two factors were the only issues then we wouldn’t be upset. However the largest issue with this cabin is its location! The cabin was extremely noisy for several reasons. First, it is located near the piping from the engine room to the smoke stack. When the ship is in motion the noise is quite noticeable. Second, this location on the Riviera Deck is just above a working area of the ship on the deck below. There is intermittent noise from below at all hours. Finally, as the cabin is located near the elevators there is considerable foot traffic outside of the cabin.